WHAT’S THE DEAL?  You may read or hear reports like the following.

 (VOM/China Aid Association)
On May 22nd, during Sunday worship time,police and Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers simultaneously raidedapproximately 60 house churches in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin province in northeastern China. In the days following, another 40 house-church groups were raided in other suburban cities around Changchun. More than 600 house-church believers and leaders were taken into custody. Most were released after 24 to 48 hours of interrogation, but approximately 100 leaders are still being held in different detention centers. The amount of man-power, coordination and planning involved in so many simultaneous raids shows this effort came from high levels of the Chinese government. One church pastor, Zhao Dianru, 58, was released Monday, June 6th, after 15 days of "administrative detention."

Mission Network News writes: :

Persecution of Christians in rural China intensifies.  China (MNN)--China tops our news.   “Open Doors'[1]  Carl Moeller says persecution in the rural areas is quite bad.    "It's worse now than it has been in quite some time.  In the western provinces in China, in the rural villages in China, where nearly 700-hundred million people still live as farmers, local authorities continue to exert incredible repression on Christian activity in those communities."     

 

Because of Open Doors' extensive work with literature distribution and pastoral training, Moeller knows there's a growing pressure on all underground churches to register. For those who don't the government cracks down.  He points to the mass arrest two weeks ago on a group who were in training for kids' ministry.  "Imagine, you're going to a Sunday School training, you're learning how to teach kids Sunday School lessons, and the government arrests you for this.  One of those co-workers is still under arrest at this time.   The rest have been released, but all those materials they received there have been confiscated."

JESUS Film Project Report Jan. 2005

 “The return of Hong Kong and Macau in 1997 to the Mainland Chinese government had embedded blessing.  The strong, experienced leader of the Christian church in these two domains, Reverend L (name left out for security), has become the well-positioned leader of the state-run Three Self Patriotic Church of China.  The Three Self Church offers an officially acceptable means to practice Christianity.  There are rules to follow, however, believers have the freedom to preach the gospel, conduct biblical training, and establish new Three Self churches.  Rev. L’s seasoned leadership in Hong Kong and Macau are trained in JESUS film usage, in discipleship, and in church planting…”

 BOTH ARE TRUE

 We have found that we can work most effective by partnering with Rev. L and helping to do humanitarian aid work that softens the heart of both the government official and the individuals themselves.  Regardless of the results, this is what Jesus would have us to do.

 Provided we use only nationals for religious teaching and teach only within the walls of the government registered church it is less likely that we well have a problem.  After giving a government official a copy of the Four Spiritual Laws in Chinese he said, “You cannot share this with people outside of the church building”.  It may not make sense to many of us but this is how we need to work.

WHICH IS RIGHT?

There are many Believers in China that feel that the government has no right to interfere with their religious belief and how they worship.  There has been much persecution for these people and yet they rejoice in their suffering.  The house church organization is growing by leap and bounds.  Because of their suffering we hear and read many stories.

On the other hand, there are those who say, “Until we can see a change take place we will work with the registered church asking God to use this means of spreading the gospel.  Thousand of new churches (registered) have been planted, and many are coming to know Jesus.  The government has allowed us to train pastors for these churches.  Although it is illegal for foreigners to teach religion in China, on occasion, we have had pastors teach in some churches and seminars. 

Reported by Frank & Ruth Luter
frankluter@sbcglobal.net